Republican chosen by voters to fill final open Senate seat

Louisiana voters in a runoff Saturday chose Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy to fill the state’s open U.S. Senate seat — the last to be decided in this year’s elections.

Kennedy’s victory gives the GOP a 52-48 edge in the chamber. His term begins in January.

Kennedy, the polling frontrunner throughout the race, defeated Democrat Foster Campbell, a state utility regulator.

The Senate runoff drew national attention, with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence each traveling to Louisiana to rally for Kennedy. The national GOP provided resources and staff to Kennedy’s campaign, while national Democratic organizations largely abandoned Campbell, assuming the race was an easy win for Republicans.

Though Campbell’s chance appeared slim, donations for his campaign poured in from around the country, and several Hollywood celebrities championed his candidacy as a way to bolster resistance to the Trump presidency.

The Senate seat was open because Republican David Vitter decided against running for a third term after losing the governor’s race last year. Both Kennedy and Campbell are well-known figures in Louisiana politics.

Kennedy, an Oxford-educated lawyer from south Louisiana, is in his fifth term as treasurer, a role in which he has repeatedly drawn headlines for financial clashes with Louisiana’s governors.

He sprinkled speeches with examples of government-financed contracts he considered outrageous, like money “to study the effects of Swedish massage on bunny rabbits.” In the runoff, he ran a safe, TV-focused effort highlighting his support for Trump and his opposition to the federal health overhaul.